The present invention relates to a portable information apparatus such as a portable computer, and more particularly to a structure for securing a display device in a housing made of synthetic resin.
A portable computer comprises a main body and a display unit. The main body has a keyboard. The display unit comprises a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a display housing. The LCD has a screen. The display housing is made of synthetic resin and contains the LCD. The housing is connected to the main body by a hinge device. It can be rotated to a closed position where it covers the keyboard from above and to an opened position where it exposes the keyboard.
The display housing is a flat rectangular box. It comprises a rectangular bottom wall and four side walls. The side walls stand from the four edges of the bottom wall, respectively. The bottom wall is slightly larger than the LCD and has four bosses at the four corners. Each boss has a screw hole. The LCD has through holes in its peripheral edge. The LCD is fitted in the display housing, with the holes axially aligned with the screw holes of the bosses. Screws pass through the holes into the screw holes, thus fastening the LCD to the bottom wall of the display housing.
Recently it is demanded in the market that portable computers be as small and light as possible. To meet the demand, the wall thickness of the main body and display housing thinner is reduced. It is strongly demanded that the LCD have a larger screen so that the user may see data more clearly. To fulfill this demand, the LCD is made as large as possible, provided that it can be fitted in the display housing. This means that the LCD occupies almost all space in the display housing.
Here arises a problem. As mentioned above, the display housing is made of synthetic resin, and its bottom wall is thin to render the portable computer as small and light as possible. The bottom wall of the housing is inevitably not rigid, and may be deformed, bending or warping, as the housing is rotated from the closed position to the opened position, or vice versa.
Insufficiently rigid, the bottom wall of the display housing may be deformed when the user rotates the housing by an angle to a specific position so that he or she may see the data clearly. If this happens, the bottom wall will exert a force on the LCD. Consequently, color shading will occur on the LCD screen or a stripe pattern will appear thereon.
The object of the present invention is to provide a portable information apparatus having a display unit comprising a display housing and a display device contained in the display housing, wherein the display housing has a relatively small wall thickness but is rigid enough to hold the display device firmly and not to deformed when the display unit is rotated to any position.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a portable information apparatus comprising: a main body; a display unit rotatably supported by the main body and comprising a display device and a display housing, the display device having a screen, and the display housing containing the display device and having first and second side portions; and a pair of support members made of metal, secured to an inner surface of the display housing, extending along the first and second side portions of the display housing, respectively, and supporting the display device at the first and second side portions of the display housing.
According to a second aspect of this invention, there is provided a portable information apparatus comprising: a main body; a pair of hinge devices; a display unit rotatably coupled to the main body by the hinge devices and comprising a display device and a display housing, the display device having a screen, and the display housing containing the display device and having first and second side portions spaced apart in a widthwise direction, a third side portion extending between one end of the first side portion and one end of the second side portion, and a fourth side portion extending between the other end of the first side portion and the other end of the second side portion; and a pair of support members made of metal, secured to an inner surface of the display housing, extending along at least the first and second side portions of the display housing, respectively, and supporting the display device at the display housing.
The support members made of metal extend along the first and second side portions of the display housing, and reinforce the display housing from within. The display housing is therefore sufficiently rigid and would not be deformed when the display unit is rotated.
Made of metal and interposed between the display device and the display housing, the support members hold the display device firmly and steadily. The load applied on the display housing is smaller than in the case where the display device is coupled directly to the display housing. No excessive force is exerted on the display device when the display unit is rotated. No color shading will occur on the display screen. Nor will a stripe pattern appear on the display screen.
According to a third aspect of this invention, there is provided a portable information apparatus comprising: a main body; a display unit comprising a display device and a display housing, the display device having a screen, and the display housing containing the display device and having first and second side portions spaced apart in a widthwise direction; and a hinge device coupling the display unit rotatably to the main body, the hinge device comprising a first bracket secured to the main body, a second bracket secured to the display housing, a hinge shaft extending between the first and second brackets, and the second bracket has an extension extending toward the first or second side portion of the display housing and securing the display device to the display housing.
In this apparatus, the second bracket reinforces both the first and second side portions of the display housing, from within. The display housing is therefore sufficiently rigid. It would not be deformed when the display unit is rotated.
Interposed between the display device and the display housing, the extension extending from the second bracket holds the display device firmly and steadily. The load applied to the display housing is smaller than in the case where the display device is coupled directly to the display housing. No excessive force is exerted on the display device when the display unit is rotated. No color shading will occur on the display screen. Nor will a stripe pattern appear on the display screen.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a portable information apparatus comprising: a main body; a hinge device; a display unit rotatably coupled to the main body by the hinge device and comprising a display device and a display housing, the display device having a screen, and the display housing containing the display device and having first and second side portions and to which the display device is secured; and a pair of reinforcing members made of metal, secured to an inner surface of the display housing, extending along the first and second side portions of the display housing, respectively.
In this apparatus, the reinforcing members made of metal reinforce both the first and second side portions of the display housing, from within. The display housing is therefore sufficiently rigid. The display housing would not be deformed when the display unit is rotated.
Secured to the first and second side portions of the display housing, thus reinforced, is the display device. The display device is therefore held firmly and steadily. No excessive force is exerted on the display housing when the display unit is rotated. No color shading will occur on the display screen. Nor will a stripe pattern appear on the display screen.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable information apparatus comprising: a main body; a display unit rotatably coupled to the main body and comprising a display device and a display housing, the display device having a screen, and the display housing containing the display device and having first and second side portions spaced apart in a widthwise direction, a third side portion extending between one end of the first side portion and one end of the second side portion, and a fourth side extending between the other end of the first side portion and the other end of the second side portion; and a support member made of metal, secured to an inner surface of the display housing, and comprising a pair of vertical members extending along the first and second side portions of the display housing, respectively, and a pair of horizontal members extending along the third and fourth side portions of the display housing, respectively, and supporting the display device at the display housing.
In this apparatus, the support member made of metal reinforce the four side portions of the display housing, from within. The display housing is therefore sufficiently rigid. The display housing would not be deformed when the display unit is rotated.
Interposed between the display device and the display housing, the support member holds the display device firmly and steadily. The load applied to the display housing is smaller than in the case where the display device is coupled directly to the display housing. No excessive force is exerted on the display device when the display unit is rotated. No color shading will occur on the display screen. Nor will a stripe pattern appear on the display screen.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.